1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to, for example, a state information acquisition system, a state information acquisition apparatus, an attachable terminal apparatus, a state information acquisition method, and a personal characteristics information acquisition system for measuring the motion, posture, action state, and physiological state of a person.
2. Related Art of the Invention
With the entrance into the stage of an aged society, public attention is focused on the nursing care of elderlies. In particular, the nursing care of elderlies of dementia or prowling tendency is considered to be important, and various technology has been proposed in this application. Means of tracking the action of such an elderly person and thereby notifying abnormal action, in case of occurrence, to the person or another person would be useful for the nursing care. Further, in addition to such an elderly person, when the action of a person is measured and analyzed to obtain a behavior pattern, this permits the comfortable control and safe operation of illumination and air conditioning. This is useful in daily life.
In addition to a person, it is useful to measure the action of an animal or a machine. For an animal, such technology can be used in the research on not yet-known mode of life. For a machine, the measurement of state and operation permits efficient and safe running. This is useful in production activities.
In order to understand the action of a human body, it is important to detect xe2x80x9cwho (or what),xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cwhere,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwhatxe2x80x9d of an action. For the purpose of this, it is necessary to (1) identify a person, (2) detect the position in a room, and (3) detect the action and the posture.
For the first issue of identifying a person, available methods include a method using RF-ID and a method by image recognition of CCD image.
The RF-ID is a system in which the identification information of a tag (called also a transponder, elsewhere) attached to a moving body such as human body and article is recognized automatically when an antenna (called also a reader, elsewhere) connected to a computer receives a radio wave of specific frequency.
These systems are classified into two categories from the viewpoint of the tag reading distance. The first category is the short distance type using lower frequencies in which the reading distance between the tag and the antenna is approximately 50 cm or less. In such a system, for example, a tag is exposed closely to an antenna, a tag is sewn into the end of a trouser leg, or a tag is read by an antenna located in a floor. The second category is the long distance type using microwaves in which the reading distance between the tag and the antenna exceeds 1 m. In such a system, it is sufficient for a tag to be carried with a human body or article. The tag information is read out without any intentional action when the tag passes by an antenna.
In the method by image recognition of CCD image, a human body or article passing through an entrance is shot by a CCD camera. Then, characteristic quantities such as the face of the human body and the shape and a mark of the article are extracted by means of image recognition, and compared with proper characteristic quantities previously registered, whereby the person or article is identified.
For the second issue of specifying the position of a human body or article in a room, available methods include extraction from CCD image and extraction from temperature distribution information obtained by a two-dimensional infra-red sensor. In addition, in case of a very large building, a method using a PHS or the like is proposed in which approximate position is specified on the basis of the intensity of the radio waves from a plurality of base station.
For the third issue of detecting the action and the posture, proposed methods include an old-fashioned method using a pedometer, a mercury switch, or the like to determine a static state or an acting state. Proposed recently is a method of detecting the state of walking, the inclination of body, and the direction of walking using various acceleration sensors and gyrosensors (angular velocity sensors) of high performance.
Further, in order to detect the physiological state of a human body, a ring sensor for detecting the light transmitting through a finger and a necklace sensor for detecting the vibration of heartbeat have been developed recently. These sensors contact the human body and detect the transmission and the vibration, thereby detecting the pulse and the like of the human body.
Nevertheless, each of these previously proposed various methods of detecting xe2x80x9cwho (or what),xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cwhere,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwhatxe2x80x9d of an action has only a single function as described above.
(A) Accordingly, there has been the problem that the action, posture, and action state of a person such as xe2x80x9cwho (or what),xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cwhere,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwhatxe2x80x9d of the action do not provide, at least directly, any information on the physiological state of the person.
Further, there has been the problem that it is difficult to obtain detailed information on the state of a person from the information obtained by any above-mentioned single function without obtaining the physiological information of the person.
(B) The RF-ID permits the identification of a specific person or article entering a room. Nevertheless, when a plurality of persons or articles enter the room, it is not possible to determine xe2x80x9cwho (or what)xe2x80x9d exists xe2x80x9cwhere,xe2x80x9d even using a method of specifying the position of the human bodies or articles. Further, even when the posture or the like is detected using an acceleration sensor, this does not provide any information on the position of the person in the posture.
Among the RF-ID systems for identifying a specific person or article, in the short distance type, the communication distance between the tag and the antenna is short. This has caused the necessity of explicitly exposing the tag to the antenna. On the contrary, in the long distance type, the communication distance between the tag and the antenna is long. This has caused the problem that a person or article not passing through but passing by the entrance can be detected in error. Further, the method of identifying a specific person or article from a CCD image needs extraction of characteristic quantities from the image. This has caused the problem that when the face is unseen at night or due to an obstacle, the human body is not detected at all.
(C) Further, in the method of receiving the sensor signals from the ring sensor, the necklace sensor, or the like, there have been the problems of a higher noise level, the large amount of data, and the like.
(D) Further, in this system, the action state of xe2x80x9cwho,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cwhere,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwhatxe2x80x9d is obtained accurately. Nevertheless, for example, in case that the home of the person of object of detection of action state is far from a hospital, the doctor in the hospital can not automatically obtain the action state of the person of object of detection. Accordingly, there has been the problem that even in case of the occurrence or the possible occurrence of abnormality in the person of object of detection, the doctor can not give any advice such as treatment information to the person of object of detection or the person""s helper.
The present invention has been devised with considering these problems in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a state information acquisition system, a state information acquisition apparatus, an attachable terminal apparatus, a state information acquisition method, a personal characteristics information acquisition system, a medium, and an informational set for directly obtaining the physiological state of a person. Further, considering the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a state information acquisition system, a state information acquisition apparatus, an attachable terminal apparatus, a state information acquisition method, a personal characteristics information acquisition system, a program, and a medium for obtaining more detailed information on the state of a person.
Further, considering the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a state information acquisition system, a state information acquisition apparatus, a state information acquisition method, an abnormal action detection system, a program, and a medium for integrally obtaining state information indicating the state of a person or an animal.
Further, the present invention has been devised with considering the prior art problem of largeness in the amount of data of: physiological information transmitted from transmitting means to a personal information terminal; physiological information transmitted from the personal information terminal to a base station; and information on all or part of posture, action, and motion state of a human body, transmitted from the personal information terminal to the base station. An object of the present invention is to provide a state information detection and transmission apparatus, a personal information terminal, transmitting means, an alarm notification system, a personal characteristics information acquisition system, a state information detection and transmission method, a physiological information processing method, a transmission method, a program, and a medium capable of reducing the amount of data of: physiological information transmitted from transmitting means to a personal information terminal; physiological information transmitted from the personal information terminal to a base station; and information on all or part of posture, action, and motion state of a human body, transmitted from the personal information terminal to the base station.
Further, considering the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an action detection system, an action detection method, a program, and a medium in which information on the action state of a person of object of detection is automatically transmitted via the Internet to a first Internet terminal of a predetermined manager (such as a doctor), and a second Internet terminal is used for performing interactive communications with the first Internet terminal via the Internet, whereby information exchange can be carried out between the person of object of detection or the person""s helper and the manager.
The 1st invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system comprising:
a terminal which has physiological state detecting means of detecting the physiological state of a person or animal, posture/action detecting means of detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal, and detection signal transmitting means of transmitting detection signals based on the detection of (1) said physiological state and (2) said posture and/or action state, and is attachable to said person or animal; and
signal receiving and processing means which receives and processes a signal transmitted from said terminal and is located in a predetermined region; and
thereby obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of said detection signal.
The 2nd invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the steps of:
detecting the physiological state of a person or animal;
detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal;
transmitting detection signals based on the detection of (1) said physiological state and (2) said posture and/or action state;
receiving and processing said transmitted signal; and
obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of said detection signal.
The 3rd invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 1st invention comprising:
radio wave transmitting means which is located in said predetermined region and transmits a radio wave; and
movement direction detecting means which is located in an entrance of said predetermined region and detects the movement direction of said person or animal; wherein
said terminal has radio wave receiving means of receiving said radio wave when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less, and
the transmission of said detection signals based on the detection of (1) said physiological state and (2) said posture and/or action state is carried out on the basis of the reception of said radio wave and the detection of said movement direction.
The 4th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 1st invention comprising position detecting means which is located in said predetermined region and detects the position of said person or animal, wherein
when said state information is obtained, said position of said person or animal detected by said position detecting means is considered.
The 5th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 1st invention wherein
said detection signal has a frequency specific to said person or animal,
said state information acquisition system comprises identifying means of identifying said person or animal on the basis of said specific frequency, and
when said state information is obtained, the result of identification carried out by said identifying means is considered.
The 6th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 1st invention wherein said physiological state detecting means and said detection signal transmitting means are integrated in a common case.
The 7th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 1st invention comprising:
storing means of storing, as structured data, said state information obtained on the basis of said detection signal and/or standard information previously prepared;
comparing and determining means of comparing said obtained state information with said stored structured data on the basis of a predetermined reference and thereby determining whether the state of said person or animal of object of detection is normal or abnormal; and
notifying means of notifying abnormality when said state of said person or animal is determined to be abnormal.
The 8th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition apparatus comprising signal receiving and processing means which receives and processes a detection signal of the physiological state of a person or animal and a detection signal of the posture and/or action state of a person or animal and is located in a predetermined region, wherein
(1) the output from said signal receiving and processing means contains state information which is based on said detection signal and indicates the state of said person or animal, or (2) said processed signal is output for the preparation of state information.
The 9th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the step of receiving and processing a detection signal of the physiological state of a person or animal and a detection signal of the posture and/or action state of a person or animal, wherein
(1) said processed signal contains state information which is based on said detection signal and indicates the state of said person or animal, or (2) said processed signal is output for the preparation of state information.
The 10th invention of the present invention is an attachable terminal apparatus comprising detection signal transmitting means of obtaining and transmitting detection signals based on the detection of (1) the physiological state of a person or animal and (2) the posture and/or action state of said person or animal, wherein
said detection signal transmitting means is attachable to said person or animal.
The 11th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the step of obtaining and transmitting, in the state of being attached to a person or animal, detection signals based on the detection of (1) the physiological state of said person or animal and (2) the posture and/or action state of said person or animal.
The 12th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system comprising:
a terminal which has physiological state detecting means of detecting the physiological state of a person or animal and detection signal transmitting means of transmitting a detection signal based on said detection, and is attachable to said person or animal;
receiving means which receives a signal transmitted from said terminal and is located in a predetermined region; and
signal processing and outputting means of processing said received signal and then outputting the result; and
thereby obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of said detection signal.
The 13th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the steps of:
detecting, in the state of being attached to a person or animal, the physiological state of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a detection signal based on said detection;
receiving said transmitted signal;
processing said received signal and then outputting the result; and
obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of said detection signal.
The 14th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 12th invention comprising position detecting means of detecting the position of said person or animal, wherein
when said state information is obtained, the result of detection carried out by said position detecting means is considered.
The 15th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 12th invention comprising identifying means of identifying said person or animal, wherein
when said state information is obtained, the result of identification carried out by said identifying means is considered.
The 16th invention of the present invention is a personal characteristics information acquisition system comprising:
radio wave transmitting means which is located at least at one position in a room and transmits a radio wave of specific frequency;
radio wave receiving means of receiving when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less;
posture/action detecting means of detecting the posture, position, action, and motion state of a human body;
physiological state detecting means of detecting the physiological state such as pulse and heartbeat of said human body;
sensor signal transmitting means of transmitting a sensor signal obtained from said physiological state detecting means;
sensor signal receiving means of receiving a sensor signal obtained from said sensor signal transmitting means;
a wearable personal information terminal having said radio wave receiving means, said posture/action detecting means, said sensor signal receiving means, and sensor signal processing means of obtaining the personal characteristics information of said human body;
a master apparatus for successively transmitting and receiving the sensor signals from a plurality of said wearable personal information terminals by wireless; and
signal processing means of integrally processing, by means of a network, the signals obtained from said sensor signals from said master apparatus and thereby obtaining the personal characteristics information of said human body.
The 17th invention of the present invention is a personal characteristics information acquisition system according to 16th invention comprising:
position detecting means which is located at least at one position in said room and detects the position of said human body by means of image processing;
movement direction detecting means which is located in an entrance of said room and detects the movement direction of said human body;
storing means of storing the action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means, in an integrated form of structured data by means of a network;
action evaluating means of evaluating said action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means by comparing it with said structured data stored in said storing means connected to said network;
state determining means of determining and predicting an abnormality in the action state of said human body obtained from said action evaluating means; and
notifying means of notifying said determined abnormality in said action state of said human body to said personal information terminal and other terminals connected to said network; wherein
the results of detection by said position detecting means and said movement direction detecting means are integrated into said action information by said signal processing means.
The 18th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system comprising:
position detecting means of detecting the position of a person or animal and thereby transmitting a position detection signal;
a terminal which has posture/action detecting means of detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and detection signal transmitting means of transmitting a state detection signal based on the detection of said posture and/or action state, and is attachable to said person or animal; and
signal receiving and processing means which receives and processes said position detection signal and said state detection signal, and is located in a predetermined region; and
thereby obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 19th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the steps of:
detecting the position of a person or animal and thereby transmitting a position detection signal;
detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a state detection signal;
receiving and processing said position detection signal and said state detection signal; and
obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 20th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 18th invention wherein:
the object of said detection is a person;
said state information acquisition system comprises lavatory state detecting means of detecting the state of said person in a lavatory; and
when said state information is obtained, the result of detection carried out by said lavatory state detecting means is considered.
The 21st invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 18th invention wherein:
the object of said detection is a person;
said state information acquisition system comprises on-bed state detecting means of detecting the state of said person on a bed; and
when said state information is obtained, the result of detection carried out by said on-bed state detecting means is considered.
The 22nd invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 18th invention comprising:
radio wave transmitting means which is located in said predetermined region and transmits a radio wave; and
movement direction detecting means which is located in an entrance of said predetermined region and detects the movement direction of said person or animal; wherein
said terminal has radio wave receiving means of receiving said radio wave when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less, and
the transmission of said state detection signal is carried out on the basis of the reception of said radio wave and the detection of said movement direction.
The 23rd invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 18th invention wherein
said state detection signal has a frequency specific to said person or animal,
said state information acquisition system comprises identifying means of identifying said person or animal on the basis of said specific frequency, and
when said state information is obtained, the result of identification carried out by said identifying means is considered.
The 24th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system according to 18th invention comprising:
storing means of storing, as structured data, said state information obtained on the basis of the result of said processing and/or standard information previously prepared;
comparing and determining means of comparing said obtained state information with said stored structured data on the basis of a predetermined reference and thereby determining whether the state of said person or animal of object of detection is normal or abnormal; and
notifying means of notifying abnormality when said state of said person or animal is determined to be abnormal.
The 25th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition apparatus comprising signal receiving and processing means which receives and processes a position detection signal based on the detection of the position of a person or animal and a state detection signal based on the detection of the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and is located in a predetermined region, wherein
(1) the output from said signal receiving and processing means contains state information which is based on the result of said processing and indicates the state of said person or animal, or (2) said processed signal is output for the preparation of state information.
The 26th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the step of receiving and processing a position detection signal based on the detection of the position of a person or animal and a state detection signal based on the detection of the posture and/or action state of said person or animal, wherein
(1) said processed signal contains state information which is based on the result of said processing and indicates the state of said person or animal, or (2) said processed signal is output for the preparation of state information.
The 27th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system comprising:
identifying means of identifying a person or animal;
position detecting means of detecting the position of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a position detection signal; and
signal processing and outputting means of receiving and processing said position detection signal with considering the result of said identification, and then outputting the result; and
thereby obtaining state signal indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 28th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the steps of:
identifying a person or animal;
detecting the position of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a position detection signal;
receiving and processing said position detection signal with considering the result of said identification, and then outputting the result; and
obtaining state signal indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 29th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition system comprising:
identifying means of identifying a person or animal;
a terminal which has posture/action detecting means of detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and detection signal transmitting means of transmitting a state detection signal based on the detection of said posture and/or action state, and is attachable to said person or animal; and
signal processing and outputting means of receiving and processing said state detection signal with considering the result of said identification, and then outputting the result; and
thereby obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 30th invention of the present invention is a state information acquisition method comprising the steps of:
identifying a person or animal;
detecting, in the state of being attached to said person or animal, the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and transmitting a state detection signal based on the detection of said posture and/or action state;
receiving and processing said state detection signal with considering the result of said identification, and then outputting the result; and
obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 31th invention of the present invention is an abnormal action detection system comprising:
position detecting means which is located at least at one position in a room and detects the position of a human body by means of image processing;
movement direction detecting means which is located in an entrance of said room and detects the movement direction of said human body;
transmitting means which is located at least at one position in said room and transmits a radio wave of specific frequency;
receiving means of receiving when the distance from said transmitting means is a predetermined value or less;
posture/action detecting means of detecting the posture, action, and motion state of said human body;
a wearable personal information terminal having said receiving means, said posture/action detecting means, and signal processing means of obtaining the action information of said human body;
a master apparatus for successively transmitting and receiving the sensor signals from a plurality of said wearable personal information terminals by wireless;
signal processing means of integrally processing said sensor signals from said master apparatus and the signals obtained from said position detecting means and said movement direction detecting means and thereby obtaining the action information of said human body;
storing means of storing the action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means, in an integrated form of structured data by means of a network;
action evaluating means of evaluating said action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means by comparing it with said structured data stored in said storing means connected to said network;
state determining means of determining and predicting an abnormality in the action state of said human body obtained from said action evaluating means; and
notifying means of notifying said determined abnormality in said action state of said human body to said personal information terminal and other terminals connected to said network.
The 32th invention of the present invention is an abnormal action detection system according to 31st invention comprising human body state detecting means of detecting an abnormal state of said human body in a lavatory, wherein
the result of detection by said human body state detecting means is integrated into said action information by said signal processing means.
The 33th invention of the present invention is an abnormal action detection system according to 31st invention comprising on-bed state detecting means of detecting the on-bed state of said human body on a bed, wherein
the result of detection by said on-bed state detecting means is integrated into said action information by said signal processing means.
The 34th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus comprising:
physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting means of transmitting said physiological information detected by said physiological information detecting means; and
a wearable personal information terminal having: receiving means of receiving said physiological information from said transmitting means; and sending means of sending said physiological information received by said receiving means or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
(1) said transmitting means transmits said physiological information detected by said physiological information detecting means to said personal information terminal in every predetermined time interval, or
(2) said receiving means receives said physiological information from said transmitting means in every predetermined time interval, or
(3) said sending means sends said physiological information to said base station in every predetermined time interval.
The 35th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission method comprising the steps of:
detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting said detected physiological information; and
in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; and sending said received physiological information or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
(1) said detected physiological information is transmitted to said personal information terminal in every predetermined time interval, or (2) said physiological information is received in every predetermined time interval, or (3) said physiological information is sent to said base station in every predetermined time interval.
The 36th invention of the present invention is a wearable personal information terminal having: receiving means of receiving physiological information from transmitting means of transmitting physiological information detected by physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body; and sending means of sending said physiological information received by said receiving means or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
(1) said receiving means receives said physiological information from said transmitting means in every predetermined time interval, or
(2) said sending means sends said physiological information to said base station in every predetermined time interval.
The 37th invention of the present invention is a personal information processing method comprising the steps of:
receiving detected and transmitted physiological information of a human body, by a predetermined personal information terminal; and
sending said received physiological information or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, from said personal information terminal to a predetermined base station; wherein
(1) said physiological information is received in every predetermined time interval, or (2) said physiological information is sent to said base station in every predetermined time interval.
The 38th invention of the present invention is transmitting means of transmitting physiological information detected by physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body, to a predetermined personal information terminal, wherein
said transmitting means transmits said physiological information detected by said physiological information detecting means to said personal information terminal in every predetermined time interval.
The 39th invention of the present invention is a transmitting method comprising the step of transmitting detected physiological information of a human body to a predetermined personal information terminal, wherein
said detected physiological information is transmitted to said personal information terminal in every predetermined time interval.
The 40th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus comprising:
physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting means of transmitting said physiological information detected by said physiological information detecting means; and
a wearable personal information terminal having: receiving means of receiving said physiological information from said transmitting means; and sending means of sending said physiological information received by said receiving means or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
(1) said transmitting means transmits said physiological information to said personal information terminal only when a substantial change occurs in the signal detected by said physiological information detecting means, or
(2) said sending means sends said physiological information to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in said physiological information received by said receiving means.
The 41th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission method comprising the steps of:
detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting said detected physiological information; and
in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; and sending said received physiological information or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
(1) said physiological information is transmitted to said personal information terminal only when a substantial change occurs in said physiological information, or (2) said physiological information is sent to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in said received physiological information.
The 42th invention of the present invention is a wearable personal information terminal having: receiving means of receiving physiological information from transmitting means of transmitting physiological information detected by physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body; and sending means of sending said physiological information received by said receiving means or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said sending means sends said physiological information to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in said physiological information received by said receiving means.
The 43th invention of the present invention is a personal information processing method comprising the steps of:
receiving detected and transmitted physiological information of a human body, by a predetermined personal information terminal; and
sending said received physiological information or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, from said personal information terminal to a predetermined base station; wherein
said physiological information is sent to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in said received physiological information.
The 44th invention of the present invention is transmitting means of transmitting physiological information detected by physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body, to a predetermined personal information terminal, wherein
said transmitting means transmits said physiological information to said personal information terminal only when a substantial change occurs in the signal detected by said physiological information detecting means.
The 45th invention of the present invention is a transmitting method comprising the step of transmitting detected physiological information of a human body to a predetermined personal information terminal, wherein
said physiological information is transmitted to said personal information terminal only when a substantial change occurs in said physiological information.
The 46th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus according to 34th or 40th inventions wherein
said transmitting means is carried with said human body,
said transmitting means further comprises uncarry detecting means of detecting that said transmitting means becomes uncarried with said human body,
when said uncarry detecting means detects that said transmitting means becomes uncarried with said human body, said transmitting means transmits uncarry information indicating this situation to said personal information terminal, and
said personal information terminal sends said uncarry information to said base station.
The 47th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus according to 34th or 40th inventions wherein
said personal information terminal further comprises uncarry detecting means of detecting that said personal information terminal becomes uncarried with said human body, and
when said uncarry detecting means detects that said personal information terminal becomes uncarried with said human body, said sending means sends uncarry information indicating this situation to said base station.
The 48th invention of the present invention is a wearable personal information terminal having:
state detecting means of detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of a human body; and
sending means of sending state information detected by said state detecting means or state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said sending means sends said state information to said base station in every predetermined time interval.
The 49th invention of the present invention is a personal information processing method comprising the steps of:
detecting, as state information, all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of a human body; and
sending said detected state information or state information generated by signal processing of said state information, from a predetermined personal information terminal to a predetermined base station; wherein
said state information is sent to said base station in every predetermined time interval.
The 50th invention of the present invention is a wearable personal information terminal having:
state detecting means of detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of a human body; and
sending means of sending state information detected by said state detecting means or state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said sending means sends said state information to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in the signal detected by said state information detecting means.
The 51h invention of the present invention is a personal information processing method comprising the steps of:
detecting, as state information, all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of a human body; and
sending said detected state information or state information generated by signal processing of said state information, from a predetermined personal information terminal to a predetermined base station; wherein
said state information is sent to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in said detected signal.
The 52th invention of the present invention is a personal information terminal according to 50th invention wherein
said personal information terminal further comprises uncarry detecting means of detecting that said personal information terminal becomes uncarried with said human body, and
when said uncarry detecting means detects that said personal information terminal becomes uncarried with said human body, said sending means sends uncarry information indicating this situation to said base station.
The 53th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus comprising:
physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting means of transmitting said physiological information detected by said physiological information detecting means; and
a wearable personal information terminal having: receiving means of receiving said physiological information from said transmitting means; state detecting means of detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and sending means of sending all or part of state information composed of said physiological information received by said receiving means and the information detected by said state detecting means, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said sending means sends said state information to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in at least a part of said physiological information received by said receiving means and said information detected by said state detecting means.
The 54th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission method comprising the steps of:
detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting said detected physiological information; and
in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and sending all or part of state information composed of said received physiological information and said detected information, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said state information is sent to said base station only when a substantial change occurs in at least a part of said received physiological information and said detected information.
The 55th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus comprising:
physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting means of transmitting said physiological information detected by said physiological information detecting means; and
a wearable personal information terminal having: receiving means of receiving said physiological information from said transmitting means; state detecting means of detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and sending means of sending all or part of state information composed of said physiological information received by said receiving means and the information detected by said state detecting means, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said receiving means receives said physiological information from said transmitting means only when a substantial change occurs in the signal detected by said state detecting means.
The 56th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission method comprising the steps of:
detecting the physiological information of a human body;
transmitting said detected physiological information; and
in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and sending all or part of state information composed of said received physiological information and said detected information, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said physiological information is received only when a substantial change occurs in said detected signal.
The 57th invention of the present invention is a state information detection and transmission apparatus according to 55th invention wherein
said transmitting means is carried with said human body,
further comprised is uncarry detecting means of detecting that said transmitting means becomes uncarried with said human body and/or that said personal information terminal becomes uncarried with said human body,
when said uncarry detecting means detects that said transmitting means and/or said personal information terminal become uncarried with said human body, said transmitting means and/or said sending means transmits and/or sends uncarry information indicating these situations.
The 58th invention of the present invention is a wearable personal information terminal having:
receiving means of receiving physiological information from transmitting means of transmitting physiological information detected by physiological information detecting means of detecting the physiological information of a human body;
state detecting means of detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and
sending means of sending all or part of state information composed of said physiological information received by said receiving means and the information detected by said state detecting means, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station; wherein
said receiving means receives said physiological information from said transmitting means only when a substantial change occurs in the information detected by said state detecting means.
The 59th invention of the present invention is a personal information processing method comprising the steps of:
receiving detected and transmitted physiological information of a human body, by a predetermined personal information terminal;
detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and
sending all or part of state information composed of said received physiological information and said detected information, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, from said personal information terminal to a predetermined base station; wherein
said physiological information is received only when a substantial change occurs in said detected information.
The 60th invention of the present invention is a personal information terminal according to any one of 36th, 42th, 48th, 50th, 52th, and 58th inventions further comprising notifying means of notifying abnormality information by means of sound or color, when all or part of said detected physiological information or said detected state information falls within the range of predetermined abnormality information.
The 61st invention of the present invention is an alarm notifying system comprising at least: a personal information terminal according to any one of 36th, 42nd, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 58th, and 60th inventions; and a base station for receiving physiological information or state information from said personal information terminal by wireless; wherein
said personal information terminal comprises an alarm button to be arbitrarily pushed by a human body in order to notify an abnormality, and
said alarm notifying system further comprises notifying means of notifying, by means of sound or color, abnormality information indicating the abnormality when said alarm button is pushed.
The 62nd invention of the present invention is an alarm notifying system comprising at least: a personal information terminal according to any one of 36, 42nd, 48, 50, 52nd, 58, and 60 inventions; and a base station for receiving physiological information or state information from said personal information terminal by wireless; wherein
said personal information terminal comprises an alarm button to be arbitrarily pushed by a human body in order to notify an abnormality, and
when said alarm button is pushed, abnormality information indicating the abnormality is sent from said personal information terminal to said base station.
The 63rd invention of the present invention is a personal characteristics information acquisition system comprising: a personal information terminal according to any one of 36th, 42nd, 48th, 50th, 52nd, 58th, and 60th inventions; a base station for receiving physiological information or state information from said personal information terminal by wireless; and personal characteristics information calculating means of obtaining the personal characteristics information of a human body on the basis of said physiological information or said state information received by said base station.
The above-mentioned state information detection and transmission apparatus according to the invention may comprise radio wave transmitting means which is located at least at one position in a room and transmits a radio wave of specific frequency, while the above-mentioned personal information terminal according to the invention may comprise radio wave receiving means of receiving said radio wave from said radio wave transmitting means when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less.
In the above-mentioned configuration according to the invention, the action and the personal characteristics information of a person, such as position, posture, action information, and physiological information, can be measured accurately and easily. Further, state determining means attached to the human body communicates with the base station by wireless, and the base station is connected to the network. This permits integrated management of the personal characteristics information of human bodies in a plurality of rooms or specified areas. Accordingly, the action of the human bodies in the whole building can be understood in real time. This permits various applications such as abnormality detection, air conditioning/illumination control, and security.
The term xe2x80x9cwearablexe2x80x9d in the present specification indicates portability.
The 64th invention of the present invention is an action detection system comprising:
a wearable personal information terminal for acquiring at least a part of the personal characteristic action information of a human body;
action information acquiring means which is uncarried with said human body and located in a predetermined fixed place, and acquires at least a part of the personal characteristic action information of said human body;
a base station for receiving said personal characteristic action information from said personal information terminal by wireless;
action state calculating means of integrally processing said personal characteristic action information received by said base station and said personal characteristic action information from said action information acquiring means and thereby obtaining the action state of said human body;
state determining means of comparing said action state obtained by said action state calculating means with predetermined reference information and thereby determining and predicting the presence or absence of abnormality in said action state of said human body;
a first Internet terminal for transmitting, via the Internet, the result of determination by said state determining means, or alternatively said result of determination and said action state information obtained by said action state calculating means; and
a second Internet terminal for receiving said result of determination, or alternatively said result of determination and said action state information, from said first Internet terminal via the Internet; wherein
said first Internet terminal and said second Internet terminal can perform interactive information communications with each other via the Internet.
The 65th invention of the present invention is an action detection method comprising the steps of:
acquiring, in the state of being carried with a human body, at least a part of the personal characteristic action information of said human body;
acquiring, in the state of being uncarried with said human body and located in a predetermined fixed place, at least a part of the personal characteristic action information of said human body;
receiving said personal characteristic action information by wireless;
integrally processing said received personal characteristic action information and said personal characteristic action information and thereby obtaining the action state of said human body;
comparing said obtained action state with predetermined reference information and thereby determining and predicting the presence or absence of abnormality in said action state of said human body;
transmitting the result of said determination, or alternatively said result of determination and said obtained action state information, from a first Internet terminal via the Internet; and
receiving said result of determination, or alternatively said result of determination and said action state information, from said first Internet terminal via the Internet by a second Internet terminal; wherein
said first Internet terminal and said second Internet terminal can perform interactive information communications with each other via the Internet.
The 66th invention of the present invention is an action detection system according to 64th invention wherein when said state determining means determines an abnormality, said first Internet terminal transmits said result of determination, or alternatively said result of determination and said action state information.
The 67th invention of the present invention is an action detection system according to 64th invention further comprising an apparatus which can be connected to said first Internet terminal and the operation of which is controlled on the basis of the instructions from said second Internet terminal.
The 68th invention of the present invention is an action detection system according to 64th invention wherein
said action information acquiring means comprises: radio wave transmitting means which is located at least at one position in a room and transmits a radio wave of specific frequency; physiological state detecting means of detecting the physiological state of said human body; and physiological information transmitting means of transmitting the physiological information detected by said physiological state detecting means, to said personal information terminal;
said personal information terminal comprises: radio wave receiving means of receiving the radio wave from said radio wave transmitting means when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less; state detecting means of detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; physiological information receiving means of receiving said physiological information from said physiological information transmitting means; and sending means of sending, as personal characteristic action information, all or part of reception information indicating the reception of radio wave from said radio wave transmitting means, said state information detected by said state detecting means, and said physiological information received by said physiological information receiving means, to said base station.
According to the action detection system of the invention having the above-mentioned configuration, a human body entering a room can be identified. Further, the action and the state of the human body, such as in-room position, posture, action physiological information, can be measured accurately. This permits easy determination and prediction of abnormality. The result can be notified to another person via the Internet. Further, state determining means attached to the human body communicates with the base station by wireless, and the base station is connected to the network. This permits integrated management of the personal characteristics information of human bodies in a plurality of rooms or specified areas. Accordingly, the action of the human bodies in the whole building can be understood in real time. This permits various applications such as abnormality detection, air conditioning/illumination control, and security.
The term xe2x80x9cwearablexe2x80x9d in the present specification indicates portability.
The 69th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information acquisition method according to 2nd invention comprising the steps of: detecting the physiological state of a person or animal; detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal; transmitting detection signals based on the detection of (1) said physiological state and (2) said posture and/or action state; receiving and processing said transmitted signal; and obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of said detection signal.
The 70th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information acquisition method according to 13th invention comprising the steps of: detecting, in the state of being attached to a person or animal, the physiological state of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a detection signal based on said detection; receiving said transmitted signal; processing said received signal and then outputting the result; and obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of said detection signal.
The 71st invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information acquisition method according to 19th invention comprising the steps of: detecting the position of a person or animal and thereby transmitting a position detection signal; detecting the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a state detection signal; receiving and processing said position detection signal and said state detection signal; and obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 72nd invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information acquisition method according to 28th invention comprising the steps of: identifying a person or animal; detecting the position of said person or animal and thereby transmitting a position detection signal; receiving and processing said position detection signal with considering the result of said identification, and then outputting the result; and obtaining state signal indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 73rd invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information acquisition method according to 30th invention comprising the steps of: identifying a person or animal; detecting, in the state of being attached to said person or animal, the posture and/or action state of said person or animal and transmitting a state detection signal based on the detection of said posture and/or action state; receiving and processing said state detection signal with considering the result of said identification, and then outputting the result; and obtaining state information indicating the state of said person or animal on the basis of the result of said processing.
The 74th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information detection and transmission method according to 35th invention comprising the steps of: detecting the physiological information of a human body; transmitting said detected physiological information; and in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; and sending said received physiological information or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station.
The 75th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information detection and transmission method according to 41th invention comprising the steps of: detecting the physiological information of a human body; transmitting said detected physiological information; and in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; and sending said received physiological information or physiological information generated by signal processing of said physiological information, to a predetermined base station.
The 76th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information detection and transmission method according to 54th invention comprising the steps of: detecting the physiological information of a human body; transmitting said detected physiological information; and in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and sending all or part of state information composed of said received physiological information and said detected information, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station.
The 77th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the state information detection and transmission method according to 56th invention comprising the steps of: detecting the physiological information of a human body; transmitting said detected physiological information; and in a wearable personal information terminal: receiving said physiological information; detecting all or part of the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; and sending all or part of state information composed of said received physiological information and said detected information, or alternatively all or part of state information generated by signal processing of said state information, to a predetermined base station.
The 78th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the action detection method according to 65th invention comprising the steps of: acquiring, in the state of being carried with a human body, at least a part of the personal characteristic action information of said human body; acquiring, in the state of being uncarried with said human body and located in a predetermined fixed place, at least a part of the personal characteristic action information of said human body; receiving said personal characteristic action information by wireless; integrally processing said received personal characteristic action information and said personal characteristic action information and thereby obtaining the action state of said human body; comparing said obtained action state with predetermined reference information and thereby determining and predicting the presence or absence of abnormality in said action state of said human body; transmitting the result of said determination, or alternatively said result of determination and said obtained action state information, from a first Internet terminal via the Internet; and receiving said result of determination, or alternatively said result of determination and said action state information, from said first Internet terminal via the Internet by a second Internet terminal.
The 79th invention of the present invention is a personal characteristics information acquisition method comprising the steps of:
Transmitting, by radio wave transmitting means which is located at least at one position in a room, a radio wave of specific frequency;
Receiving, by radio wave receiving means, when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less;
Detecting, by posture/action detecting means, the posture, position, action, and motion state of a human body;
Detecting, by physiological state detecting means, the physiological state such as pulse and heartbeat of said human body;
Transmitting, by sensor signal transmitting means, a sensor signal obtained from said physiological state detecting means;
Receiving, by sensor signal receiving means, a sensor signal obtained from said sensor signal transmitting means;
Transmitting successively and receiving, by a master apparatus, the sensor signals by wireless from a plurality of wearable personal information terminals having said radio wave receiving means, said posture/action detecting means, said sensor signal receiving means, and sensor signal processing means of obtaining the personal characteristics information of said human body; and
Processing integrally, by signal processing means, the signals obtained from said sensor signals from said master apparatus by means of a network and thereby obtaining the personal characteristics information of said human body.
The 80th invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the personal characteristics information acquisition method according to 79th invention comprising the steps of: transmitting, by radio wave transmitting means which is located at least at one position in a room, a radio wave of specific frequency; receiving, by radio wave receiving means, when the distance from said radio wave transmitting means is a predetermined value or less; detecting, by posture/action detecting means, the posture, position, action, and motion state of a human body; detecting, by physiological state detecting means, the physiological state such as pulse and heartbeat of said human body; transmitting, by sensor signal transmitting means, a sensor signal obtained from said physiological state detecting means; receiving, by sensor signal receiving means, a sensor signal obtained from said sensor signal transmitting means; transmitting successively and receiving, by a master apparatus, the sensor signals by wireless from a plurality of wearable personal information terminals having said radio wave receiving means, said posture/action detecting means, said sensor signal receiving means, and sensor signal processing means of obtaining the personal characteristics information of said human body; and processing integrally, by signal processing means, the signals obtained from said sensor signals from said master apparatus by means of a network and thereby obtaining the personal characteristics information of said human body.
The 81st invention of the present invention is an abnormal action detection method comprising the steps of:
Detecting, by position detecting means which is located at least at one position in a room, the position of a human body by means of image processing;
Detecting, by movement direction detecting means which is located in an entrance of said room, the movement direction of said human body;
Transmitting, by transmitting means which is located at least at one position in said room, a radio wave of specific frequency;
Receiving, by receiving means, when the distance from said transmitting means is a predetermined value or less;
Detecting, by posture/action detecting means, the posture, action, and motion state of said human body;
Transmitting successively and receiving, by a master apparatus, the sensor signals by wireless from a plurality of wearable personal information terminals having said receiving means, said posture/action detecting means, and signal processing means of obtaining the action information of said human body;
Processing integrally, by signal processing means, said sensor signals from said master apparatus and the signals obtained from said position detecting means and said movement direction detecting means and thereby obtaining the action information of said human body;
Storing, by storing means, the action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means, in an integrated form of structured data by means of a network;
Evaluating, by action evaluating means, said action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means by comparing it with said structured data stored in said storing means connected to said network;
Determining and predicting, by state determining means, an abnormality in the action state of said human body obtained from said action evaluating means; and
Notifying, by notifying means, said determined abnormality in said action state of said human body to said personal information terminal and other terminals connected to said network.
The 82nd invention of the present invention is a computer processable medium carrying a program to cause a computer to execute all or part of the abnormal action detection method according to 81st invention comprising the steps of: detecting, by position detecting means which is located at least at one position in a room, the position of a human body by means of image processing; detecting, by movement direction detecting means which is located in an entrance of said room, the movement direction of said human body; transmitting, by transmitting means which is located at least at one position in said room, a radio wave of specific frequency; receiving, by receiving means, when the distance from said transmitting means is a predetermined value or less; detecting, by posture/action detecting means, the posture, action, and motion state of said human body; transmitting successively and receiving, by a master apparatus, the sensor signals by wireless from a plurality of wearable personal information terminals having said receiving means, said posture/action detecting means, and signal processing means of obtaining the action information of said human body; processing integrally, by signal processing means, said sensor signals from said master apparatus and the signals obtained from said position detecting means and said movement direction detecting means and thereby obtaining the action information of said human body; storing, by storing means, the action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means, in an integrated form of structured data by means of a network; evaluating, by action evaluating means, said action information of said human body obtained from said signal processing means by comparing it with said structured data stored in said storing means connected to said network; determining and predicting, by state determining means, an abnormality in the action state of said human body obtained from said action evaluating means; and notifying, by notifying means, said determined abnormality in said action state of said human body to said personal information terminal and other terminals connected to said network.